In this edition of Ask the Expert, we pick the brains of Yvonne Samaritani, co-founder and co-head of the agency JUNE. As an experienced communications professional, both for external as well as internal communication, she gives us insights on the impact of AI tools and practical examples of their use by comms professionals today.
Yvonne, who are you and what is your connection to internal communication?
I'm the co-founder and co-head of the agency JUNE. We advise companies on internal and external corporate communications. Initially, I was mainly interested in external communication. I was a journalist for twelve years. When I switched to communications - first at XING, then at the Federation of Migros Cooperatives - I became increasingly enthusiastic about the power and opportunities that lie in internal communications. In consulting, internal communication is super exciting because we can find out so much about the company and its potential in such a short space of time.
We all know the hype surrounding AI tools - has it also reached internal communication departments and teams?
First of all, I don't talk about hype when it comes to AI tools. For me, there are several signs that AI tools are more than just a passing phenomenon: applicable in all sectors, efficiency gains, influence on business models, discussions on ethics... Speaking for us communications people: Anyone who has ever optimized a concept with AI or received the absolute best transcription from ChatGPT won't give it up. Our agency is a 100% subsidiary of Jung von Matt, which is why we have a direct comparison with advertising and marketing clients. We still see significantly less speed and ambition among corporate communications clients - so we are happy to point out the potential.
Hype versus reality - can AI tools really help internal communication professionals today?
You bet. May I give you a few examples? Let's assume that internal messages are required on a very regular basis that need to be condensed or adapted from longer texts. ChatGPT is not only really good at filtering out bullet points with the most important take-aways, it can also adapt the texts. The most efficient way to do this is to upload three successful messages beforehand, for example, and use them to brief the benchmark and the tone of voice.
Second example: you want to give internal ambassadors a voice in regular communication formats. There is little time for a concept. Brainstorm with ChatGPT, you will get exciting ideas.
There are many types of AI tools, from chatbots to support for content creation and search. Which do you think have the greatest potential to bring real added value for companies and employees?
At the agency, we are currently focusing on three that we believe offer real added value for corporate communications: ChatGPT for tasks such as workshop drafting, idea brainstorming or text creation, DALL-E to generate images and Perplexity for research.
What was the most important thing you learned about AI last year?
Keep at it. I recommend the following idea: We order lunch to the office once a month and show each other what we're trying out in terms of AI. Keeping at it means constantly taking each other along on the journey. AI is developing so rapidly that you can practically do away with anything static in terms of application, including the saving of good prompts.
What are your favorite AI tools that you might also use privately on a daily basis?
ChatGPT on the smartphone. I'm out and about a lot during the day and love the voice function. In other words, I use ChatGPT to talk about building concepts and strategies. And in the evening, for example, I ask which Yotam Ottolenghi cookbook I can find the pasta with chickpeas in. Or I ask: "Hey Chat, what funny sentences could we use to practise the sh sound with our son?" ...She sells seashells by the sea shore of the Seychelles.
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